Here We Stand, or Here We Fall
by TeamImprov
Summary: Whump Dialogue Prompt #4: I'm going to break your hand now. Please do try and keep the noise down. Special Request – Cage involved in some way. Mac whump!


Title from Hammer to Fall by Queen

Whump Dialogue Prompt #4: I'm going to break your hand now. Please do try and keep the noise down. Special Request – Cage involved in some way.

**Here We Stand, or Here We Fall**

Cage felt the sharp bite of the zip ties digging into her wrists and twisted her hands around, the more blood the better. It would make slipping out of them easier after she enacted the next, and most important, part of her escape plan.

She was overall impressed by how well Mac was holding up. He was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, although basement dungeon was a little more accurate, and Murdoc had not been going easy on him.

Cage would never understand Murdoc's strange obsession with Mac. Since she had joined the team, some of Murdoc's fascination had transferred over to her but for Murdoc it was always going to be about Mac at the end of the day.

Murdoc had nabbed them both separately. He was sneaky, she'd give him that. So far, Murdoc only seemed to have taken her to be a witness to Murdoc's…fun. But what was fun for Murdoc was pure torture for Mac and Cage knew if they had any chance of getting out of there she was going to have to get herself free a lot faster.

Mac's face was covered in blood, his blue eyes bright against the backsplash of red. Most of it came from a head wound at his hairline. The rest of him was so bruised and bloody Cage wasn't sure if he could even get out of the chair he was tied to let alone escape.

"Oh, MacGyver, you have been so much fun to play with but I think it's time we step it up a little. What do you think, Sammy?"

"I think you can go to hell, Murdoc." Cage answered back immediately, she let all of the fury she was feeling after being forced to watch Murdoc hurt her friend show in her glare but Murdoc simply smiled.

"Eventually, I'm sure." Murdoc said nonchalantly, turning back to face Mac. "But I'm not done with my masterpiece, yet. Angus is such an endless source of inspiration, don't you think?"

Murdoc didn't wait for an answer and instead turned back to his 'tools' and picked up a hammer. Cage saw Mac, who had been stoic through everything so far, grow several shades paler as Murdoc untied one of his hands and slammed it down on the table between them.

"We wouldn't want you to get too many ideas for how to escape, it's no fun if the canvas runs away before you add the finishing touches."

Mac gulped, clenching his hand in a tight fist, and Cage's own heart leapt into overdrive as Murdoc held the hammer over Mac's hand.

"Open up, MacGyver, or I'll give pretty little Cage a turn."

Cage watched Mac's eyes flick between her and Murdoc. Cage shook her head, she could take it, but Mac loosened his fist. She could see him shaking and bent her hands in her own binds to try to find the best angle.

"**I'm going to break your hand now. Please do try and keep the noise down. **Or not, either way works for me."

With that he slammed the hammer down directly over Mac's knuckles.

Cage had never seen Mac get tortured before so she didn't know what to expect. She'd seen this same thing done before and those men, who had been much older and bigger than Mac, had screamed bloody murder. However Mac simply gasped, his body instinctively curling toward the injured appendage to try to protect it from further damage, but other than that he made no sound.

Murdoc brought the hammer down again and again and all the while Mac didn't scream.

Cage finally got the base of her thumb in the correct position and pressed in just the right way until she heard the familiar crack of a finger breaking but this time it was her own.

She pulled her hand free and grabbed the chair, bringing it down hard across Murdoc's back. The chair shattered from the force of the blow and Murdoc went down.

Cage took one of the knives from Murdoc's toolkit and cut Mac's other hand free before kneeling down in front of him. He was clutching his hand to his chest, eyes wide and and face pale, but much to Cage's surprise he was smiling weakly.

"Took you long enough." Mac said, his whole body starting to shake. Cage smirked, Mac would seemingly never cease to surprise or impress her. "How'd you get out?"

Cage ripped a strip of material from the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around the worst of the bleeding from Mac's hand. Several of his fingers were swelling but none of the bones were sticking out which was something at least. He winced, sucking in a sharp breath, as she tied off the bandage.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?" She held up her own broken thumb and Mac winced again but in sympathy for her this time. Again, he would never cease to surprise her.

"Yeah, so much fun." He said sarcastically.

"We should get out of here before he wakes up. I've had enough fun for one day. How about you?" Cage said. Mac nodded tiredly, his face growing paler as the seconds went by.

"Before we go," Mac said, grunting as he stood, his broken hand held tightly against his chest. He limped over to Murdoc's tools and grabbed a coil of rope.

"Good idea." Cage said, taking the rope from Mac and tying Murdoc as securely as she could.

Yeah, he wasn't going anywhere this time.

As they limped their way out of Murdoc's latest torture room, Cage watched Mac carefully. He was clearly in a lot of pain and moving very slowly but he was still standing, walking out of there on his own two feet.

Cage was surprised by the feeling of pride that swept over her.

Mac was tougher than he looked, his wounds would heal, and he would be just fine.

They both would be.

And at the end of the day, that was all that truly mattered.

The End.


End file.
